Post navigation

This article is a guide on how to install the latest Nvidia GeForce Notebook Driver on any Nvidia mobile GPU originally not supported by the INFs included in official Nvidia mobile GPU drivers.

Upgrading laptops powered by Nvidia GPUs to Windows 7 has become annoyingly tormenting. Windows’ own WDDM driver—installed by Windows 7 Setup during a fresh Windows 7 install, or provided by Windows Update—is no good, lacking many features an original Nvidia Windows Display Driver contain. That’s when all drivers OEMs provide their clients with are rather old.

Nvidia declares in its WHQL-certified notebook driver download page that “As part of the NVIDIA Verde Notebook Driver Program, this is a reference driver that can be installed on supported NVIDIA notebook GPUs. However, please note that your notebook original equipment manufacturer (OEM) provides certified drivers for your specific notebook on their website. NVIDIA recommends that you check with your notebook OEM about recommended software updates for your notebook. OEMs may not provide technical support for issues that arise from the use of this driver.”

Answering “I can’t hear you,” the common practice is to download the latest Nvidia notebook driver (32-bit / 64-bit), create a System Restore Point, and run the downloaded driver executable file.

The Nvidia setup will extract to C:\NVIDIA\DisplayDriver\…, but because all hardware/software companies do exist for one and only one reason and that’s to make consumers suffer, the following message is shown:

The NVIDIA Setup program could not locate any drivers that are compatible with your current hardware. Setup will now exit.

The Solution: Modded INF File [Updated October 29, 2011]

Pieter Schaar of LaptopVideo2Go.com has patched the display INF file out of the original Nvidia GPU driver INF file. All you need to do is to download the right INF depending on your Windows architecture edition (i.e., 32 bit or 64 bit), copy it at the same folder your non-working Nvidia display driver had previously extracted (e.g., C:\NVIDIA\DisplayDriver\version\WinVista_Win7\language\Display.Driver) and run setup.exe just inside of its upper folder.

Disabling Driver Signature Enforcement on Windows 8 / Windows 8.1

By default, both Windows 8.1 and Windows 8 do not allow unsigned drivers to install. To allow the installation of modded drivers, you need to disable driver signature enforcement temporarily (on the next boot only):

Setup Instructions

Step 1: Welcome

If the modded INF file (nv_disp.inf) works correctly, Setup will show its first dialog box:

Welcome to the InstallShield Wizard for NVIDIA Drivers

Welcome to NVIDIA Setup. This will install NVIDIA Display Drivers on your computer.

Click Next >.

Step 2: License Agreement

Click Yes.

Step 3: Windows Security Confirmation

The original driver is a WHQL-certified package, but because the added driver’s INF file is modified, Windows can’t verify the original publisher of the driver security catalog (nv_disp.cat) against it, so Windows Security will show a message indicating “Windows can’t verify the publisher of this driver software,” click Install this driver software anyway.

Step 4: Installing Display Driver and Utilities

“Installing driver components…” is shown, indicating the time-consuming display driver installation process. Your screen might blink or turn black during this process. All you need to do is to be patient.

Step 5: Restart Your Computer

Select Yes, I want to restart my computer now and click Finish to restart your computer.

Don’t forget to enable Windows Aero once your computer has booted up.

Please note despite Nvidia’s claim that the Sony VAIO support will be added in a later release, you can use the modded INF with the Notebook GeForce Driver on your Sony VAIO laptop making use of Windows 7. Two Sony VAIOs—VGN-SZ650N and VGN-FZ290N—have been tested and upgraded successfully.

Brilliant! I have been struggling with a Dell XPS 1730 which dumped it’s nvidea drivers during a Windows update (Aero?) – After trying endless combinations of the driver files and installing/uninstalling I found your page and IT WORKED. Well done.

Two tips: Ensure any existing drivers are properly cleared by restart before following your instructions, otherwise the “cannot find compatible drivers” message persists, and secondly – this gives back the “Sleep” and “Hybernate” options that are lost by using the Windows VGA drivers.

Komeil, you are a hero!Have a client with a VPCS116FG (South African Model)and it worked.I just copied the file to the C:\NVIDIA\DisplayDriver\258.96\WinVista_Win7\International\Display directory and install it from there and it worked.Keep up the good work!

My system SONY SZ660N, will let me copy the INF file from Notepad, but it won’t let me paste it to the folder C:\NVIDIA\DisplayDriver\258.96\WinVista_Win7\International\Display Any ideas? Thanks for your help.

You should mention that not all drivers are available for all cards. I cannot use 259.47 WHQL Driver Download Links for instance.

The instructions are slightly confusing at vary depending on the driver version for 258.96 (Windows 7 / 64-bit) the modded nv*.inf files goes into C:\NVIDIA\DisplayDriver\258.96\WinVista_Win7\International\Display. Perhaps, you should say:

Place the downloaded nv*.inf file in the same directory as the other nv*.inf files. Run setup.exe by double-clicking the icon.

And in the end, 258.96 didn’t work for my Sony Vaio VGN-Z820G Laptop. Trying 197.16 now.

197.16 did not work either. I think the problem is that I have a laptop that has a stamina < --> speed toggle that selects between the on boards and discrete graphics processors. Any idea on how to manage this. I am sure that it is a setting in the NV*.INF file.

The STAMINA/SPEED shouldn’t be the problem. If you turn on your VAIO with STAMINA selected, its INTEL GPU is active, and you can install its INTEL driver. On the other hand, if you restart the VAIO with the SPEED selected, it’ll switch to the NVIDIA, right from the POST, then you can install the NVIDIA Windows 7 driver.

Regarding STAMINA/SPEED, I did have the toggle set to “SPEED” when I installed and restarted my laptop.It did not work and threw me to degraded VGA mode. I will try it again when I get a chance and report back here.

I am using an Acer 5520G and upgraded the 8400m G to a 9600m GT (taken from an ASUS laptop), but couldn’t install the official drivers. So I used your modified inf file, it installed and now the card works! I thank you so much for your efforts!

There is however a small issue. It does not detect the DVI port anymore and it cannot identify my external display (BenQ G2420HD) through the VGA port. Is there some way to fix this? (I have to manually set the resolution from Nvidia Control Center, and by doing so the screen flickers abit even with the right Hz)

Thank you!I am having problems though installing using your modified .inf file. The file is supposed to go to /International/Display.Driver? The installer stops at the System Check and says it cannot find any compatible graphics hardware.

The post is rather old, and only updated from time to time. So it’s up to you to inspect the extracted driver setup downloaded from Nvidia website, and see where Nvidia’s own INFs are located, then you should copy the modded INF to that exact same folder.

It’s probable that the latest modded INFs don’t work with your notebook Nvidia graphics card, so you need to try the more stable older ones, like the 197.16 or 258.96.

Hi,I’ve tested your method on Sony VGN-FZ190 and there is a trick for 260.99 version to work; In which you have to rename the inf file to nvwi.inf and replace the file with the same name under Display.Driver folder and then try the setup.exeThanks for the time you’ve spent on this case.

I installed 260.99 on my vaio sz650n and everything seems fine. But I couldn’t get the nvidia control panel to install. Funilly, before the installation, I couldn’t get cinema 4d or photoshop cs5 to take advantage of the openGL function cos both said it was disable. After the installation, Cinema 4D recognised openGL function but not photoshop cs5. I wonder is it somehow during the installation, something has messed up. Like the Nvidia control panel.. I will give it another try sometimes, otherwise everything else seems fine.I thank you for posting the solution here cause I was looking for something like this for a while. It is very nice of you.

Hi Didn’t work for my Acer 5745G laptop. I installed the 260.99 driver and it picked up the card. But after the restart it didn’t pick up the driver and I was running the default Windows driver. Any clues?

Have you tried renaming the NV_DISP.INF to NVWI.INF? For the 260.99 to work, you may need to rename the downloaded modded INF into nvwi.inf and replace it with the file of the same name inside Display.Driver folder, and then run Setup.exe.

skydrive download works. i downloaded the .inf file, renamed it to nvwi.inf and place it into display.driver folder. this replaced another file there. However when i run the setup program it says something about unsupported video card something like that. at the moment i have the 190.40 drivers. i use a sony vaio vgn-sz71xn/c

yes i have same hardware id. i was wrong before! all works. i had renamed the file to nwvi.inf but i should have renamed it to just nwvi.(i have file extentions hidden!!)i use windows 7 32bit ultimate on my laptop. the brand is sony vaio vgn-sz71xn/c and have only 2gb of ram. should i go to 4gb and windows 64? will i see a good improvement?also i have 2 slots of 1gb memory in each. i guess i have to buy 2 rams of 2gb each? is there a specific type of memory that works in dual mode?and one final question. i have to get a dock for my laptop for an hdmi slot… will it be able to support 1080p blue ray playback on my big full HD tv?

thank you very much for your help! you are the only help online for people with vaio problems

Be a pro and disable “hide extensions for known file types.” I always encourage my students and colleagues to doing so.Don’t go for x64 or additional RAM, instead, buy yourself an SSD, if you really are seeking speed. OEM RAM modules on high-end models like Sony VAIO SZ and Dell XPS M are very fast, and by adding another module, you’re offering yourself with more memory capacity, in the sacrifice of speed. SSDs are not mechanical and do not age like HDDs, so you can safely go for a second hand.Read my article on SSD upgrade here and compare the results.The Nvidia GeForce 8400M GS GPU is a powerful graphics accelerator, and is easily capable of rendering 1080p HD content. The only problem is it gets hot, so make sure the laptop sits on a flat surface (preferably on a notebook cooler) and seriously avoid putting it on a rug, blanket, or cloth material.

Your “graphics: 2.9” means 2D graphics, while its much higher “game graphics: 5.3” score resembles its 3D graphics. In another article, I’ve described how to take advantage of 3D rendering capabilities (using Enhanced Video Renderer, or EVR in short) to show high-bitrate 2D movies flawlessly.

i see.i also downloaded the ntune utilitie for safe overclock of the gpu, however it doesn’t let me overclock it with the 20 minites test or with the 3 hours one. i can only use custom settings (tried small upgrade 420core and succeed) however i am afraid of overclocking it in case i go really high! are there any common max settings for this?

also the rivatuner is a bit complicate and don’t know if it works(nore if its safe).

i downloaded ntune for overclocking funtionality too but it doesn’t work with the automate functionality(20 minites and 3 hours)i can only use custom settings which makes it hard to find the apropriate overclock and maybe dangerous for overheating etc.are there any custom settings (common and safe) for the geforce 8400m gs card?

also i experience problems with graphics card with gaming. for exable need for speed most wanted doesn’t play fullscreen and i can only go as high as 800*600 in resolution.

also with the need for speed undercover, i have resolution problem, plus i have only got like 200 colour pattern (not 32bit). haven’t tested other game get but i guess i will have same problem with either resolution or colours etc. why is that?

I’m totally against overclocking mobile Nvidia GeForce 8400M GS, because laptop’s internal cooling equipment is not even enough to cool down its standard setup. I don’t have any idea, but it shouldn’t be like that in NFS. Test yours with CrystalMark 2004R3 version 0.9.126.452 and compare the results with the following scores–Nvidia GeForce 8400M GS on Dell XPS M1330

my laptop is the sony vaio vgn-sz71xn/c with 2gb or ddr2 667 ram, and windows 7 32bit. am not sure if i will install 64bit…

i downloaded the left4dead game. put the highest settings and HD resolution. i realised now, that no game can run in full screen. if i choose 800*600 it runs in the middle. if i choose 1024*768 it runs in a larger window but still not full screen. when i choose 1280*768 and 16:9 format it has only 2 black lines one above and one below(small ones) almost like full screen. so my problem is that nothing runs in fullscreen automatically. maybe its a setting? i also tryed to run as administrator still same problem….

also i wanted to ask another question: should i buy a laptop with ddr3 memory instead of installing another 2 gb in my current one? the t9300 prosessor looks good…. i am interested in performance first and then gaming…maybe if i have 4gb ddr2 667,and windows 64 bit it will be even faster and not need to buy a new laptop…

I haven’t seen LCD screen expansion setting in VAIO BIOS setup. Although your laptop might feel smoother because of the less paging, adding another memory module wouldn’t make the big difference that you’re looking for. An 800MHz (PC2-6400) stick would operate at 667MHz (PC2-5300) on your laptop.

i have the same problem, and i am using an Asus K42JC with geforce 310M 1 gb. i’ve downloaded the latest driver (266.58) but it still uses the standard VGA adapter.. please help me if you have any solutions to these problems. thanks

Hi, Komeil. My problem is a quite different. If I install the driver from nvidia 260.99 everything looks ok, because recognize everything, but when I reboot my All in One PC then Windows can not start and i have to use the system restore to return to the begining, i mean, the standar vga graphics adapter used by windows by default. What can I do?

Quote:Hi Didn’t work for my Acer 5745G laptop. I installed the 260.99 driver and it picked up the card. But after the restart it didn’t pick up the driver and I was running the default Windows driver. Any clues? December 20, 2010 Komeil Bahmanpour said…

Have you tried renaming the NV_DISP.INF to NVWI.INF? For the 260.99 to work, you may need to rename the downloaded modded INF into nvwi.inf and replace it with the file of the same name inside Display.Driver folder, and then run Setup.exe.######################################################

I tried that but I am having still the same problem like Terrazo2K2, it seem that afterwards the Intel driver is not there anymore and the WIN7 64 switches to the own driver. And I cant open the Nvidia control panel.

just like to know if there is an update modded driver for the 266.58 from Nvidia. I installed the last version 260.99 and all is well, except that when sometimes it won’t play online videos, just flickers and goes off completely. The new driver may possibly have a fix on that. Thanks for all the great help

Komeil, thanks for your effort, finally I have managed to update my driver as well. Thanks a lot

But still, one problem occurs.

I have an Acer Aspire 5935G with a Hybrid graphic card: an integrated Intel and an nVidia GeForce GT 130M.The Win7 x64 still uses the integrated card instead of the nVidia, and I cannot change. There is a button on the laptop but it’s not functioning for some reason. And my other question. I used to have an nVidia quicklaunch icon, where I could set it as well, (you know, Average use, Quality, or Performance), but it has disappeared as well…

I just tried your fix for my 9600M GT on my Sony VAIO to install the 266.58 driver and even thought I was able to install it, the laptop kept getting blue screens and crashing shortly after booting. I was forced to rollback to the old driver.

Hi mate, thanks a lot the the modified .inf file. Wasted 2 days before stumbling to ur post 😀 trying to sort out my 310m driver. The new 267.76 version is out, would you care to make a new modified inf file for it. cheers

Hi! I’ve got the nvidia geforce 310M 1GB graphics card for Windows 7 64bit professional. I downloaded both the 266.58 drivers as well as the 260.99 drivers, and both have failed. I’ve used your modded files and renamed them, replacing the files you mentioned in the instructions, but when I run the 260.99 version, it gives the message “This graphics driver could not find compatible graphics software”, and when I run the 266.58 version, it gives the message “Required files are missing”… do you have any suggestions for me?

Thanks for the update. However when I try to install the driver for 267.76 Version on my Acer Aspire 5745G with a Hybrid graphic card: an integrated Intel and an nVidia GeForce GT 330M.Windows 7 (x64) I get the error : Install intel driver 1st.

Nice post! I don’t know why Windows 7 is such a big problem, but it’s continually being used to help your computer to run much smoother and more effectively than ever before. This will get rid of the various problems that your system will have.

Thanks for the update. However when I try to install the driver for 267.76 Version on my Dell Vostro 3500 with a Hybrid graphic card: an integrated Intel and an nVidia GeForce GT 310M. Windows 7 (x64) I get the error: Install intel driver 1st.

The new inf works great for getting past the “could not locate any drivers that are compatible with your current hardware” problem. But is there a way to get past the non support for “Notebooks supporting Hybrid Power with Intel chipsets”? I get “Nvidia installer failed” when I use 32-bit ver 270.61 on a hybrid power intel chipset Asus U41SV with Geforce GT 540M running 32-bit Windows 7.

Then I tried Komeil’s modded INF 270.61 and pasted it in “C:\NVIDIA\DisplayDriver\270.61\Vista\International\Display.Driver”. During “Installing Graphics Driver…” it asked “Windows can’t verify the publisher of this driver software” and I chose “Install this driver software anyway”. The NVIDIA Installer failed, showing Graphics Driver component version 270.61 returned Failed status.

Then I tried to locate and install the driver software manually and picked “C:\NVIDIA\DisplayDriver\270.61\Vista\International\Display.Driver\nvwi.inf” and selected “NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400”. But Windows encountered a problem installing the driver software returning this error

A service installation section in this INF is invalid.

Retried and it returned this error

Cannot create a stable subkey under a volatile parent key.

Then I gave up the NVIDIA Display Driver 270.61, did a system restore to the restore point before the NVIDIA Display Driver installation and tried the older version 267.76 with Komeil’s modified INF version 267.76, with a complete success.

in didnt work on my acer aspire 5630 :((can anyone help me ?i so damn hated intel GMA 950 chipset can anyone please help me ?what version should should i install ? and what do i nedd to do to install the nvidia geforce 7300 ?

please help me i tried to install 275.33 on my acer aspire 5630 and got an error the installation is stoped because other driver is not installed ,how to install perfectly the driver please help me can anyone give me a step by stem procedure ?and what driver ang WHQL should i install ?i tred to donwload every version of the driver but non of them is working .

Hi! I successfully updated to 275.33, but had to downgrade to 266.58 because my Media Player Classic stopped being able to play anything. I think it’s something to do with this http://forums.nvidia.com/index.php?showtopic=204013 though I never experienced BSODs, just the MPC-HD program crashing. (Also, Youtube worked fine even with hardware acceleration on.) Hope this is helpful.

i have a notebock acer aspire 5520g (modifid from “nvidea 8600m gs” to a “nvidea 9800m gt” ..sow cadand find a driver,,i stay like 1 year until i find this beuterful site ..for me was a very big help..:) ty the driver worck perfect ..!!!

I got it to run on a Sony Vaio VPCCW22FX with an Nvidia GT 330M video card and an i3 running Win7 Home Premium x64

INF hack did the trick and I now have the 280 drivers. Am considering getting the latest and trying the INF hack with those, because I do get some pop-ins during gameplay(not as bad as my friends copy on 1st release).

But hey! I can play and having thought I just wasted $60 I am happy now!

Komeil:First, I wanted to tell you that this page does an excellent job of addressing a specific issue that a great deal of people have.

Second, the layout of the page is simple, straight-forward, and extremely helpful.

That being said, I am having trouble getting the *.inf method to work (I am sure it is something I am doing.)

I have a Dell Latitude E6510 with Windows 7 32 bit installation. I have downloaded the following:

285.62-desktop-win7-winvista-32bit-english-whql(this package does not include a nvwi.inf when unzipped. I tried placing the modded nvwi.inf. Unsuccessful.)

285.62-notebook-win7-winvista-32bit-international-whql(this package DOES include a nvwi.inf in the C:\NVIDIA\DisplayDriver\285.62\WinVista_Win7\International\Display.Driver folder. I replaced the nvwi.inf with the modded version, but still was rebuffed by the installer.)

Any help that you could give would be appreciated. Thanks for taking the time.

Many thanks! After years (literally) of search and giving Sony support a headache, my VPCCW driver finally got updated!!!I found LaptopVideo2Go.com site before, but it is such a mess I could not find what I need there. Thank you for organizing it for mortals to understand. Hopefully this will finally resolve my BSOD problems.

Hey, it has nothing to do with Dell. Take a look at the comments. You see the problem exists with virtually anything with an Nvidia chip: Acer, Alienware, Asus, HP, Sony VAIO, etc. The problem is with globalization. You should criticize the fall of the Berlin Wall.

ANYONE??!i can’t update my vaio(GT230M)I did change the nvmi.inf.txt into nvmi.inf and put it into the display driver folderIt was successfully been recognized, HOWEVER, nothing was installed. It said that the installation had failed. That’s it!T.Tplease help…

I have an NVIDIA 230M chipset running on a VAIO VPCCW1S1E. This fix worked (thanks!) but once installed, the driver behaved badly – I had two BSDs shortly after booting into Windows 7 and that was enough for me. I have reverted to the OEM drivers.

For people who have acer Geforce 330M switchable, go to bios and change your graphic card from switchable to discrete. After restarting your laptop, you should be able to install the latest NVIDIA 295.73 WHQL driver without using the Modded INF File. (You might need a updated bios.) This works for me.

thanx maaaaaaaaaaaaan for this file … i have tohsiba qosmio x305-q706 and the latest drivers from producer were in 8/2009 … now i can play all new games mostly in sli mode!! … great thanx … i dont know what to write …. the tears pushed to my eyes …. thanx thanx thanx ….

komeil i am doing as u said i am installing 296.10 on sony vaio vpccw12en Nvidia G210M driver installs easily but when i am restarting it reaches desktop but after 1 min a blue screen with some data comes and my lappy restarts what going wrong…

Basically if Microsoft error tracking was effective, those data should have been considered a starting point to the determination of the cause of the problem.

Further checking your Event Viewer and investigating a snapshot of the BSOD might help reveal the glitch.

The sloppy design and development philosophy behind consumer electronics of today means you cannot judge or point your blaming finger at Nvidia, Sony, or Microsoft.

First, test your RAM with Memtest86+ bootable media and wait for a complete successful pass. Like a semiannual dentist checkup appointment, this is proved to be an effective practice, since RAM modules can fail without you noticing.

komeil when i am using driver with modified nvwi.inf file then driver installs but bsod occurs on desktop but when i am using driver with modified nv_disp.inf everything goes right without bsod why it happens and why some drivers have modified nvwi.inf and other’s with nv_disp.inf pls give me suggestions thanks in advance.

Those with modded nvwi.inf (and nv_whql.inf) are essentially of a newer generation comparing to those with modded nv_disp.inf. There are a lot of tweaks and added features and one can’t say for sure why yours is stable with the older ones. Perhaps the newer Nvidia software is oppressively incompatible with your G210M engine and it has nothing to do with the INF modification itself.

komeil mp sony vaio vpccw12en have geforce G210m 256 mb and have 2 gb of ram but when i am install driver version 296.10 it installs but bsod occurs when it reaches desktop so if i am upgrade my ram from 2gb to 4gb then i think bsod don’t occur what is your suggestion about ram upgradations thanks in advance…….

komeil i have sony vaio vpccw12en laptop with 256mb nvidia geforce g210m graphics and my laptop have 2gb of ram my graphics driver version is 187.83 and by using your tecnique i have decided to upgrade my driver and finally i upgrade it but it upgrade to 258.96 when i am trying to upgrade with 296.10 then this driver installs but bsod occurs at desktop my laptop supports 8gb of ram so if i am upgrade my ram to 6gb then what are the chances that bsod does not happen again driver works poperly pls give me your suggestions thanks in advance…..

Though upgrading to 4 GB or more of RAM on a 64-bit edition of Windows is a noticeable performance upgrade, but if your current RAM is faulty, it doesn’t solve the BSOD problem. Because the location of the defect moves, BSOD occurrence time will change.

As I said earlier, check the RAM with Memtest86+ bootable media (Windows is not up, so every bit of the memory will be tested thoroughly) to make sure it’s defect-free. You can add extra RAM to that, but that won’t fix the BSOD.

In addition to main RAM, there is a dedicated video memory. Check that with memtestG80 and/or memtestCL to find the cause of the problem.

Thanks so much. I had wasted over a day trying to install a new driver on a Sony VGN-SZ780 after a clean Win7 install. That included trying the nVidia Mobility Modder Tool which would fail in the install.I copied the file as you said, ran setup and it worked. Thanks so much.

With the demise of Windows XP, Nvidia mobile GPU drivers newer than the 267.24 Beta do not support Windows XP. The latest WHQL-certified driver for Windows XP is 266.58. Click here to download 266.58 XP x86 modded INF and here to download the original Nvidia mobile driver v266.58 for Windows XP.

I am finding that my 296.10 driver does not include a nvwi.inf file to replace. There is a nv_disp.inf file, but when I try to rename the modded .inf to nv_disp.inf and replace, the setup software tells me it is missing a file.

all of this information is helpful but im still having problems with the newest INF drivers on the 301.42 setup. I have addeed the .inf into the display.driver folder (and didn’t have to replace another .inf wasn’t sure if this was normal) and after running the setup im still getting the same compatibility error ( I currently have a 670m)

One feature of Nvidia’s Optimus technology in Acer Aspire 5755G is automatically switching between the Intel integrated graphics and GT540M graphics to decide which card as per the power requirement is to be used. Since a lighter task keeps the machine cooler hence the battery will last longer. A simple yet impressive idea when talked about, but troublemaking when dealt with…

I own a Sony Vaio VPCCW21FX with geforce 310M. It happened that sometimes the computer just stopped responding and when it came back to life it said that the Nvidia driver stopped working. I succesfully updated the driver with your inf file, the 301.42 update. It worked fine for almost a week, but again started experiencing the same problem. Don’t know if the latest update would solve this, but can you upload an inf file for the 304.79 update? Thank you!

Hello…I M SULAHi have acer aspire 5745G 1gb nvidia gt330m.i try to update using your instruction ..like replacing INF. it strat but after 3 step by clicking install any way…it goes further but after some time it say FAILED DUE TO ONE OF THE CORE COMPONENT CREAT FUCNTION PROBLEM…THAT’S ALLplz help me outthnx….

Hi, I hope somebody can help me. I’ve got a Toshiba Tecra A9 that I upgraded from Vista to Win7, and for the life of me, I can’t get the Nvidia Quadro NVS 130M to work again. I’ve tried Komiel’s inf file trick, and it will install everything like it’s supposed to, but when I restart the laptop, it will freeze at the windows logo screen, and then the fan will start running really fast and it just freezes. I then have to take the battery out in order to stop the computer. Then I have to do a restore, and start from square one. I’ve tried 3 different inf files, even the 197.16 (one of the oldest), and I can’t get past this issue…help…ANYBODY????

OMG! I believe Iv been looking for this article since oct 2012! Lol! Now, to get my laptop back and try a couple of these methods. Ill report back to all when I get my machine back. Whoever posted about setting high end gpu as dedicated graphics in bios…thanks! I havent tried it yet but am positive thats what Im looking for. Iv a Clevo W110ER.

By “copied in nv_disp.inf” did you mean changed the file contents of the original 285.62 nv_disp.inf? If so, it’s wrong. You have to copy the nvwi.inf file into the directory, replacing the file of the same name (if exists), leaving the original files (including nv_disp.inf) unchanged. Then, the version of the modded INF should match the version of the downloaded Nvidia driver. Why haven’t you tried the latest driver and the latest modded INF? 285.62 is almost two years old.

I have a Nvidia G210M and tried to install the latest update.
320.18 and early became a black screen over the following system error and has not finished updating.
I wonder if anything I can do to make it work.
Thank you in advance!

Hi, I hope i can get some help on this as I am completely new and understand jack when it comes to hardware/software technicalities. Basically my windows 7 Pro (32bit) is installed with Geforce Go 7400 with driver version 7.15.10.9735 dating 2006 and the system declares that I have the latest and up to date drivers. Going to Nvidia site it suggests to download the latest driver 179.48 which did but as to no surprise the usual error messages. However my intentions are to use Photoshop Cs6 for 3D usage which is unable to detect my GPU and suggests for updating drivers…

Any help, guidance on which drivers and how I can install will be much highly appreciated!

Hi. 179.48 is a beta driver. You have to try stable WHQL-certified drivers. First, try the latest Nvidia x86 driver combined with the latest x86 modded INF. It’s probable that the latest drivers and their matching modded INFs don’t work with your notebook Nvidia graphics card, so you possibly need to try the older stable ones like the 266.58, 258.96 or 197.16.

You have to experiment. One more thing, before installing any version, first uninstall the previous one, reboot, and then CLEAN INSTALL by selecting Custom (Advanced) ► Perform a clean installation.
A clean installation restores all Nvidia settings to the default value and removes any profiles you have created.

Always have trouble updating driver for my daughter’s Lenovo with a GT 240M. I’ve noticed since the last time I’ve successfully updated the driver, the .INF files have multiplied. Which one should I modify? I’ve tried modding the new 320.49 but come up empty every time.

Hello , I have recently bought an Asus k56cb with nvidia geforce 740m and intel core i5. I have received the driver for nvidia but only for windows 8. I have installed win7 64bit . So, when i try to install the nvidia driver it says that the driver is not compatible with this version of windows ( i’m using the driver for win7 64bit …not the one that came with the asus), system check fails. What shall I do?

Updated. Download either of 331.65 or 331.58 for Windows 8.1, 8, 7, Vista (x64 only). New downloads are 7-zip compressed archives, so you need to extract them prior to copying into the NVIDIA installation directory.

Thanks a lot!
But what’s the new NVWU.inf all about? There hasn’t already been one in \Display.Driver (no overwriting like before), and when just copying it into this folder, setup.exe still finds no supported hardware.

Hello I tried to install nvidia quadra4 980 by this method on windows 8. It goes through compatibility but gives eror during driver install. Any Suggestions or accurate version of drivers (tried 295 and 310)

can you please help me …i have an asus 1215n with a nvidia ion gpu and i am trying to install a later driver than the one supplied with my laptop … i tried everything and nothing works, renaming the .inf file in every single way
i tried a few versions of drivers and none of them works(even the latest one 331.82, older ones 310.42)

I have a laptop acer 9920 … grafic card Nvidia Geforce 9600M GT … system windows 8.1… but i can not instal my grafic driver it doesnt work every time it shows the driver is not suported for this system i tryed over 10 drivers downloaded from nvidia website if u can help please do so .. .thank you

AFAIK, VAIO SZs are equipped with speed/stamina switch. The Nvidia graphics is only active when speed is selected. On stamina, the Intel GMA is active. After installing the driver, another problem might be with the brightness control. I don’t know about your VGN-SZ740, but the Nvidia 8400M GS equipped VGN-SZ650N’s brightness control is fine with 275.33, while VGN-SZ370P’s brightness would be stuck at bright with 275.33 & 280.26 and at dark with 301.42. The modded 310.90 however, refuses to work. I suggest you select speed, then try older modded versions with their corresponding Nvidia drivers in case the new ones have failed.

nice idea making the nvidia-drivers work. THX!
My Problem:
I try to use my Latitude D620 with Win7 64bit. Everything works fine, except the nvidia quadro nvs110m. Do you also have the modded *.inf file for the driver 179.48 win7 64bit?
Shows the same Problem you are talking about. Trying the other way round (hardware-manager), the driver does not find win7 64bit!

Hello,
after restarting my computer, once intallation of the driver has done (working perfectly), my resolution is bad (1024 * 768).
Do you know where this problem comes from ?
Thank you for your work.
Romain

Dear Komeil
My notebook series is Vaio VPCCW14FX with GT230M
below is my hardware id
PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0A2A&SUBSYS_905E104D&REV_A2
PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0A2A&SUBSYS_905E104D
PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0A2A&CC_030000
PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0A2A&CC_0300
I want to update the driver with version 320.00 or higher, which driver that compatible with my notebook and what INF file that i need?
Lately i was trying to install version 320.18, 326.41, 331.65, 332.21, 335.23, 331.58, 320.49, 331.82.
There is no driver that sucessfuly installed, because after installation completed my notebook was BSOD and restore to the last driver (v285.62 with mod nvwi.INF and nvszc.INF file)
I was trying with express install, advance with clean install, uninstall the last driver.
That solution was not work with my notebook
What should i do or i should give up to update my display driver
The original driver was remove when i install v285.62 with advance clean install without 3D installed

i tried this for my Sony VAIO VPCF23BFX laptop with a NVIDIA GeForce 540M. The dev info is:
PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0DF4&SUBSYS_9089104D&REV_A1\4&2A9DB8E1&0&0008
If i run setup then i get Driver Install Failed. If i run driver update from device manager then i get line not found in inf

I have tried several hacks from various sites without success and now this without success.

I tried with my Sony SZ780 with the new version 337.88 and did a clean instal of windows 8.1, everything was good, but some times the laptop freeze and I have to hard shutdown, and I cannot watch any video from any website, i got audio but the video screen comes green.
I have research about this issue and found it all about this is for video drivers, all people recommend last drivers so I update to 337 but the same thing, just when use the low resolution 1024 x 768 the video works, and I can disable the hardware acceleration.

Hi, I’m having problems installing the drivers. Every time I click on “Agree and Continue” for the license agreement, the installer disappears without doing anything. I’m trying to update my Asus ul50vt with a g210m. Hardware id is PCI\VEN\10DE&DEV_0A74&SUBSYS_1AF21043&REV_A2
Can you help me out please?

Which 8.1 driver have I to download for my
old 2006 vaio vgn fe-21h?
I installed win8 succesfully, video working well, but nobody succed in getting the go 7400 working under win 8.1.
In the above list I do not see an x86 near a win8.1 driver. Always x64

I have an Acer Z5710 and trying to install NVIDIA K2100M. Unfortunately at present it does not work when I boot up the computer. could you please assist. I tried to download the 340.66 version for windows 7 x64. I save the latest of your files to the driver folder but it still comes up with the can’t find compatible hardware message.

So I had to rename the nv_dispwi.inf file into nv_dispi.inf and use the advanced startup options in Win 8.1 to allow windows to install the uncertified driver because F7 didn’t work in my case….
I did a clean install and it seems to work fine now!

this worked on my asus 1215n that i have been trying to update the nvidia driver for and came across this page and has solved my problem, it was that the stock nvidia driver was not seeing the hardware

My brother…..many thanks!!!! As followed from your instructions the latest driver ( 340.52 ) for my Acer 5935g gpu:GT 130M worked without any of the original problem (failed to detect compatible hardware)..
AS I SAID AGAIN MANY MANY THANKS!!!!!!!!

Its not working for me, I’ve tried version 310.90 32-bit, for my nVidia Quadro FX 3000 on windows 7 ultimate 32-bit, but problem is the same, it didn’t detect the compatible hardware. I followed every step as described on your site.

Hi,
would you be so kind to add this Id hardware PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_1391&SUBSYS_091C1025 for both win 8.1 and win 7 ? It would be really great i’m in big troubles at the moment.
Thank you very much m8, keep up the good work!

I have a Dell Latitude d820 with an NVIDIA Quadro NVS 120m that worked for a bit in windows 7, 32 bit, but then suddenly I was only able to get standard VGA at 1028x 740. I have had success installing both the 197.16 and the 258.96 Windows 7, 32 bit NVIDIA drivers with the modded INF file. The installation went as planned, and the software installed. My display hasn’t changed, an I continue to get the dreaded Code 43 from Windows despite my video card being recognized as a GE Force 7000 (like one of the posted messages above). Does anyone have any ideas?

To Komeil, thank you for having this site, and doing the work. There is a wealth of information here, and it is nice to know I am not alone in my frustrations.

Thank you so much for posting all this and maintaining it. I was losing my mind trying to edit the inf for 347.88 to work—finding your page and having 347.52 work effortlessly, I can not express my gratitude enough.

Hi Komeil,
I have a Sony VPCL11S1E with a GeForce G210M running Windows 7 and am trying to update the driver in readiness for Windows 10. Currently I have 8.16.11.8766 (Sony’s last supported version). As Sony are cr*p and have arbitrarily decided to not support Windows 10 I am left without a fix currently. I have tried your instructions to update to 341.44 but I don’t think my Hardware ID is supported currently as I get a message ‘NVidia installer failed’. The Hardware IDs are as follows:
PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0A74&SUBSYS_9060104D&REV_A2
PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0A74&SUBSYS_9060104D
PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0A74&CC_030000
PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0A74&CC_0300
Would you mind adding these to the supported systems? Many thanks!

Update 12/08/2015: I have managed to successfully upgrade to 341.44 following your instructions, but 341.74 is required for Windows 10. Could you provide a modded .inf file for this driver? NVidia appear to have retired support for the G210M and G310M in their latest driver (353.62), which supports the G410M and upwards only. Please help as it appears this is my only option if I am to upgrade to Windows 10!

I managed to get an older computer for my son for free. It’s an older Alienware. It has the 260M, which also needs version 341.74 for Windows 10. School starts soon, and while I bet you probably have other things to do, what are chances you could get a modified .inf file for this version of the drivers? Thanks much for ANY help.

Hi Komeil,
Many thanks! I have a Sony Vaio VGN-SZ75GN/B with Geforce 8400M GS win 7 x86 , and I finally got NVidia 197.16 with modded.inf already installed. But still Microsoft don`t recognize graphics compatibility when trying to upgrade to win 10, as Microsoft done with Asus F9S with same Nvidia graphics but version 335.23, any chance to get modded.inf for this version?
Again, many thanks by your efforts and help given..

Hi
I am having hard time installing driver for my Dell D820 with NVS510m (GeForce Go 7300 as it is identified by windows) I am trying to install driver for windows 10 Pro 64 bit.
Can you please recommend which driver will be possible to use.
I have tried 258.96 64bit but eventhough the installation complete (with your patch) the driver is not installed.

Hi. Not all Dell D820 are 64-bit capable. The 64-bit version will only work with T7600 / T7400 / T7200 processors and due to limitations of the chipset, Windows 64-bit cannot access any more RAM than the 32-bit version. Hold Shift and restart, then select Troubleshoot ► Advanced options ► Startup Settings ► 7) Disable driver signature enforcement (F7). Download and extract Nvidia driver 258.96 WHQL (258.96_notebook_winvista_win7_32bit_international_whql.exe) and try it with the 258.96 modded INF.

thnx a lot for your post – it was the only guideline that helped me to install NVidia driver (for “Speed” mode) after I finally decided to upgrade my SZ-645P from older system to Win 8.1 Pro 64 bit (with still 2GB RAM – perhaps, worth upgrading to 4 or 8 GB???). Installed is one of the latest version – 341.81.
However, perhaps, you can help me with one more issue: I noticed that Windows Experience Index (WinSAT) gives Graphics 3.8 in “Speed” mode (NVidia) and 3.7 in “Stamina” mode (Intel integrated graphics) – so, basically the same. The Gaming Graphics indexes are 3.1 for both modes. So, no boost of graphic performance with NVidia comparing with the integrated adaptor. I also noticed that Windows System information utility shows the available graphic memory 384MB for Intel (Stamina) and only 64MB for NVidia (Speed) – which might be the cause.
So, the question is – do you have any expertise how to “fix” this issue and make NVidia show its graphics power? Perhaps, it is about the graphic memory? Is it possible to allocate more for NVidia from RAM? If yes, than how?
I would highly appreciate your reply, for example, to my e-mail address or in this blog – thanks.
Dmitry

Do not install a relatively new version like 341.81 on an old VAIO. A few notes on my 2009-2013 Windows 7 x86 / x64 installation experience with VAIO SZ models VGN-SZ650N (NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS on SPEED and Intel GMA X3100 on STAMINA) and VGN-SZ370P (NVIDIA GeForce Go 7400 on SPEED and Intel GMA950 on STAMINA):

VGN-SZ650N works properly with 275.33.
VGN-SZ370P somehow works with 275.33 / 280.26 / 301.42, but the brightness is stuck at its highest with 275.33 / 280.26, and at its lowest with 301.42. It doesn’t work with 310.90 modded INF.

Thnx for your reply with the tips. I tried to install 275.33 though NVidia site says it is for another GPU chip. Everything worked the same way as 341.81 – with the same performance indexes… A bit strange to see nVidia equipped PC having overall performance index aligned with the poorest performing component – the graphics… CPU, memory and even HDD of the year 2007 are doing much better than nVidia… Perhaps, I should “reassure” myself that it is only useless benchmarks.
I want to repeat one last question – do you think that it is definitely not about only 64MB graphic memory? Thnx and sorry for any disturbance.

I have a Sony VPCL11S1E with a GeForce G210M graphics card which is currently running display driver 341.44. This is not a machine supported for upgrade under NVidia’s project Verde. The operating system is Windows 7 and I am trying to update the driver to 341.74 so that I have a driver which is compatible with Windows 10 and I am then able to update the OS. I have followed your instructions trying to update to 341.74 applying the modded inf file in order to run the installer. However while the install starts successfully, my display then goes blank and after a few hours I powered off and rebooted, unfortunately I then find the graphics card is disabled and I only have a basic 640×480 driver, and hav to do a system restore to recover to 341.44. Do you have any advice as to what I might be doing wrong?

I’m not sure about your particular AiO PC, but Windows 10 contains (or utilizes Windows Update to install) signed Windows 10 certified Nvidia drivers. Unlike older drivers on Microsoft Windows Update Website and those packaged with Windows Installers of the past, these new drivers are not stripped-down versions, and even contain Nvidia Control Panel (and Intel HD Graphics Control Panel in case of Intel graphics). Please note Windows 10 10586 Upgrade Installer also checks for driver support before letting you go ahead. An example is late 2014 Apple Mac mini with Intel Iris Graphics 5100 (MGEN2LL/A and MGEQ2LL/A) + BootCamp + Intel 10.18.15.4256 Iris driver that is not compatible and refuses to upgrade to Windows 10. Users uninstall the driver and then install the upgrade. Once upgraded, Windows Update automatically downloads and installs the same so-called incompatible 10.18.15.4256 Iris driver, and the system works!

Hello Mr. Komeil,
Thank you for your advice. I have taken the courage of upgrading to Windows 10 and am currently running the Microsoft basic display adapter, but this has a maximum resolution of 1600×900. I am now trying to do a clean install of the nVidia drivers so that I can get back to a resolution of 1920×1080. I have tried many of the drivers which support my graphics card (GeForce G210M) from the latest (353.62) back to the early 2012 drivers (301.42). Unfortunately I am not able to install, just getting ‘failed’ against the graphics card driver when I run the install. Is there any advice you can offer that will help me to get a working driver, or do you think I will have to roll back to Windows 7? Thank you for your advice and support – you have helped me a lot.

I have spent two full days trying to update my VAIO VGN-AR71S (with an NVIDIA 8600M GT video chipset) from Vista to Win7. Close to despair, I found your website and hope to find solace for my tormented soul… 🙂

One problem I run into is that I cannot properly install my second monitor (2560*1080). I can only use an old Nvidia Control Panel that does not allow for resolutions about 1960*1080. I know that for several years, the Control Panels allow for creating ‘other resolutions’, but so far I have not found any working on my laptop.

What would be your best (apparently *very* informed…) guess concerning the choice of NVIDIA driver version plus ‘modded inf’?

At present, I am using Forceware version 167.60 (file version 7.15.11.6760) with Nvidia Control Panel 1.5.1000.00.
The *available* ‘graphic memory’ is 1535 MB (according to Nvidia System Info) and the *allocated* video memory is 256 MB.

Hope to hear from you, and in the mean time: Happy New Year (oder ein glückliches Neues Jahr… 🙂

I have experience with 21:9 aspect ratio 2560×1080 on Dell UltraSharp U2913WM. It’s a tricky resolution as its height is HD 1080p but the width is well over HD 1920. The HDMI 1.3 port on older laptops and PCs (mostly Mini HDMI) sometimes does not support this ultra wide resolution (while their DisplayPort does) and sometimes it depends on the driver! On such devices, only the center portion of the screen receives graphics signal at 1920×1080p, leaving the right and left portions of the screen being black (or you see 1920 stretched to 2560 on monitors capable of stretching). This complicates things. You have to be certain that your laptop is able to provide output at this resolution on its stock OS and driver, before upgrading to a newer OS and installing an updated driver. Sometimes all the pixels receive signal, but the picture does not look perfect. An example is the HDMI 1.4 port on late 2014 MGEQ2LL/A and MGEN2LL/A Intel Iris 5100 equipped Mac mini with OS X 10.10 “Yosemite” connected to Dell UltraSharp U2913WM. The picture looks grainy. If on the same devices, you switch the ports (to Thunderbolt 2 on the Mac mini, and DisplayPort on the Dell) and cable (to the included Coxoc mDP to DP cable, Dell MPN 50.7U603.011) or keep the HDMI connection, but switch to Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 with BootCamp and Intel Iris 5100 Driver 10.18.15.4256, or update the OS X to 10.11 “El Capitan”, the picture becomes perfect. That’s how complicated the matters are with resolutions above HD. On another note, it’s great that your VAIO is equipped with Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT rather than Nvidia GeForce 8400M GS. I know of two Dell laptops of the same era, Dell XPS M1330 (Nvidia GeForce 8400M GS) that needed modded INF way sooner (197.16) than its 15-inch counterpart, the Dell XPS M1530 (Nvidia GeForce 8600M GT) that accepted recent (340.52) Nvidia driver without any problems.

Hello i have the sony vaio VGN-AR71M with nvidia 8400m GT i download the latest drivers from nvidia 341.92 x64bit windows 10 i upgrade my Sony to windows 10 and i change the inf file with the one provided by you i manage to start the install and on the installation about at 30% stops and say drivers failed any suggestion would be appreciated my device id is VEN_10DE&DEV_0426&SUBSYS_9016104D&REV_A1\4&13007A16&0&0008

Hi everyone,
I am very unhappy to announce that nVidia has recently released a brand new driver version for a notebook graphic card GeForce 8600M GS (32 bit version of Win7). Obviously, I wasn’t able to find matching inf file to swap it with the original one. The driver version: 341.95 . Help needed.

Thank you for your webpage! I have been trying to upgrade my Sony Vaio to Windows 10 without success. Following the advice on your forum I downloaded the driver and modded inf and uninstalled the driver and performed the Windows upgrade. After I upgraded my machine booted up with the Windows ’emergency’ driver which doesn’t go up to the resolution of my screen (1920×1080) and I then tried to install the nVidia modded driver. Unfortunately each time I tried I just got a message ‘failed’ from the driver install even though I modified the .inf file as you suggested. I tried lots of the older drivers as well as the current one for my machine (353.62) but the result is the same. Can you offer me any advice which would help me resolve this issue?

I want to thank you in advance for you’re obviously a major contribution to us all. So thank you Komeil.

Now I have a hopefully small issue here: I’m putting Win7 64bit on my wife’s HP Compaq Presario R3000 (actually R3140US or DZ357U#ABA) with 2 gigs of RAM and 60GB HD.

The display driver 197.16_notebook_winvista_win7_64bit_international_whql.exe and your modded inf nv_disp gave me a code 43 error on install for my NVIDIA GeForce4 420 Go 32M which BTW is the only one that completed the nvidia installation then upon reboot it claims to have recovered from a serious failure. So here are the HIDs:

Per my December 1, 2015 at 10:14 AM comment, for legacy GeForce4 (and GeForce2) to work, you need to download Nvidia’s original (without modding) 93.71_forceware_winxp2k_english_whql.exe (40.5 MB) and install the driver (with driver signature enforcement disabled for Windows 8, 8.1, and 10). These legacy drivers are located here. Although these legacy drivers are designed for Windows XP (and Windows 2000), people have reported them working on Windows 7 32-bit. For 64-bit editions of Windows 7, I’m clueless. You can also play with drivers released prior to or after 93.71, but don’t expect a more recent version like 197.16 to work.

From an August 2, 2010 at 4:05 AM comment, we know the modded 258.96 works with nVidia GeForce Go 7400, but then it’s a GeForce7 Go, which is newer than GeForce4 Go and due to its updated architecture, it is able to accept recent Windows driver models by design.

IDE and AGP device drivers are provided by their respective vendors like Intel and Nvidia (Nvidia nForce in case of an old AMD system) as a motherboard driver package different from the video driver. As for the rest of the devices, the best practice is googling for hardware IDs.